Tottenham star branded 'untouchable' – but Fabrizio Romano reckons Man City could snatch him anyway

To describe Tottenham Hotspur’s season as being frustrating would be something of an understatement – but at least the summer should bring some relief, with reinforcements expected for a squad whose strength in depth has looked deeply questionable. Still, that doesn’t guarantee that everything will get better, and a story suggesting that Manchester City are eyeing up a key player may cause a few jitters in the North London.

According to a string of new reports, including one which comes from Fabrizio Romano, the reigning champions (for now, at least) are casting about for a new full-back – and have Spurs’ Destiny Udogie down as one of the options.

Could Destiny Udogie leave Spurs this summer?

The initial response to stories linking Udogie with a move away from seems to suggest that the odds of a deal being struck are limited. The Italian media have described Udogie as being seen as “untouchable”, according to Romano, while The Daily Mirror report that Spurs plan to “resist” any bids for their youthful left-back.

Injury issues aside – Udogie is one of many players to spend extended periods on the sidelines this season – the Italy international has been a nailed-on starter for Ange Postecoglou and has previous spoken about having “the trust” of the Australian head coach, with Udogie telling The Athletic that Postecolgou told him that he saw him as a “key player” in his Spurs side.

There may well be a change of manager after the end of the season, of course. An increasingly frustrated Postecolgou, his promising start long forgotten, has started firing occasional verbal shots at his own club’s supporters, and that combined with poor on-field performances has combined to create the impression of a dead coach walking. There is always a chance that the next man in sees Udogie’s role differently.

Still, Daniel Levy and his backroom team view Udogie, still only 22 years old, as a long-term investment and one of their better players. It would, in short, take a vast sum of money to prise him away. City, of course, are one of a handful of clubs who can muster up bids of that ilk.

It may not happen this summer, however. Pep Guardiola’s side added around £180m of talent over the January transfer window and may not have room within the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules to throw money around with absolute abandon, especially with a rebuild expected following a disappointing season and with the need to find a replacement for Kevin de Bruyne.

The odds of a bid for Udogie materialising appear even thinner in light of a corollary in these reports which suggests that while he may be on City’s shortlist, he isn’t first choice – Udogie’s compatriot, Juventus’ Andrea Cambiaso, remains their preferred option after they looked into buying him back in January.

Should City sign Udogie or Cambiaso this summer?

All indicators, then, point towards Udogie staying at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for the foreseeable future, not that things don’t change quickly during the volatility of the summer transfer window. But if City do decide to open their chequebook for a new left-back, is Udogie a better option than Cambiaso?

The 25-year-old Cambiaso wouldn’t be a cheap option, either. Reports from Italy suggest that Juve want up to €80m (£69.4m) for a player who is under contract until 2029, and the Old Lady would prefer to keep hold of one of their better players.

Given Juve’s desire to keep hold of their man, one can see how City could end up bracing themselves for a big-money offer for Udogie. No asking price exists, but his valuation would likely be extremely high. But would he be a better bet than Cambiaso?

The table below compares stats from the current season from Cambiaso, Udogie and current City player Joško Gvardiol in several key areas. It’s apparent that while Cambiaso is a very solid defender and offers more creativity in the final third than Gvardiol or Udogie, it’s the Spurs man who is the best in defensive situations.

Udogie’s excellent judgement in the tackle, an area in which he has developed considerably over the past two seasons, marks him out as an exceptional defender, even if his output in the attacking phases of the game lags behind some of City’s other possible options for next season.

If Guardiola wants a defensively-minded player, then, Udogie could easily be a better target than Juventus’ Cambiaso and an upgrade on Gvardiol – and it’s worth noting that Spurs’ struggles this year may be behind a decline in Udogie’s numbers for chance creation.

He had three assists and generated nearly half an extra shooting chance per game in 2023/24. In other words, he may be a more consistent force in the opposing half than these numbers suggest at a club like City who retain more possession and may have more chances to make forays forward, even if Cambiaso would likely remain a better option around the opposing area.

The long and short of it is that Udogie has developed into an exceptional defender who has the skill set to become more of a threat going forward. He’s dynamic and technically confident, qualities Guardiola admires. It’s easy to see why City would have Udogie on their shortlist.

Still, it’s unlikely that a deal gets done this summer simply because of the kind of fee that Spurs would surely demand. There are no indications, as it stands, that Udogie is discontented at Tottenham or would try to force his way out. But strange things happen in transfer windows, and City may well be monitoring his situation very closely indeed…